Water cooler



T. C. KENNEDY.

WATER COOLER.

APPLlcATloN 111.50 Nov. 1. 1919.

Patented Nov. M, 1922.

m@ W6, wf J n. W W

Patented Nov. 14, 1922..

` naaste Traci/ms c. KENNEDY,

OF CHICAGO, 111121111015.

WATER COOLER.

Application filed November To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS C. KENNEDY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Vater Coolers, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to water coolers.

More particularly it relates to a water cooler' adapted to be associatedwith a refrigerator.

The ordinary refrigerator water coolerI comprises a reservoir orcompartment attached to or set in a refrigerator within or near the icechest and having a faucet thru which the water may be drawn off, Thecoolers, particularly when they are permanently attached to therefrigerator, are difficult to clean or to repair when leaks occur, andthe faucet and outlet pipe cannot be cleaned or repaired without losingor polluting the chilled water.

Where the coolers are of the detached type, they cannot be removedwithout considerable difficulty in loosening the pipe connections and ifonly the faucet and outlet pipes are to be-cleaned or repaired, thechilled water is lost or must first be drawn off into a separatereceptacle.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an improved watercooler for a re frigerator.

Another object is to provide a cooler which may be readily removed andreplaced.

Another object is to provide a cooler which may beremoved without losingor drawing off the chilled water.

Another object is to provide a water cooler' wherein the waterreservoir, piping and faucets may be readily separated for cleaning andrepairs.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the specification andclaim.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, where- 1n- Fig. 1 is a front elevation showing a water coolerin position, and

Fig. 2 is a section of a portion of the cooler.

The cooler comprises a compartment or reservoir 5, mounted in therefrigerator. The reservoir may be made of any suitable material and inany desired shape to best adapt it to the structure of the refrigeratorwith which it is to be used. It may be sus- 1, 1919. Serial No. 335,160.

pended or otherwise secured to the top or sides of the ice or othercompartment, or it may be set upon the floor of any compartment.

In the bot-tom of the reservoir is an outlet opening 6 thru whichextends a nozzle 7. Nozzle 7 is provided with an annular flange S at itstop. This annular flange rests on the bottom of the reservoir and issecured thereto in any desired manner, for example, soldering, toprovide a water-tight joint. The upper edge of the opening thru thenozzle is chamfered to form a valve seat 9 for a valve in the form of aball 10. The lower part of the nozzle is formed with a converging wall11, extending some distance below flange 8.

When the reservoir is in place in the refrigerator, nozzle 7 extendsinto the open endof an elbow pipe 15, which passes thru the wall of therefrigerator. The projecting end of pipe 15 is threaded to receive afaucet 16, for drawing off the water, and a nut 17. The wall of therefrigerator is clamped between nut 17 and a flange 18 on the pipe.

The upper end of the elbow in pipe 15 is provided with an annular flange20, which is grooved on its inner surface to receive a gasket 21. Theconverging wall 11 of the nozzle wedges into gasket 21 to make a tight tto prevent the escape of water.

rlhe inner Wall of the elbow of pipe 15 is provided with a threaded lug22 into which is screwed a threaded post or stem 23. Stem 23, when thereservoir is in place, supports ball 10 above seat 9, as shown by thefull lines of Fig. 2, to allow the passage of water into pipe 15. Theposition of the ball above its seat can be changed by varying the amountstem 23 is'threaded into lug 22.

One or more guard posts 24C may be set into flange 8 to keep the ball inproper position above seat 9.

When the reservoir is to be removed for cleaning or repair or for thecleaning or repair of the pipe or faucet, the reservoir is lifted andtaken out of the refrigerator. As the reservoir is raised the ballsettles against seat 9, effectively closing the opening in the reservoirto prevent the escape of the chilled water. The length of the convergingWall 11 of the nozzle is made longer than the distance the ball isnormally held above seat 9, so that the ball is properly seated beforethe end of the nozzle emerges from the opening in the elbow of pipe 15.There is consequently no leakage.

rlhe reservoir may be removed and if only the pipe and faucet are to becleaned or repaired, none of the chilled water is lost or polluted. Thereservoir may be readily removed by simply raising it from position, nouncoupling of connections being necessary. lt may be as readilyreplaced, whereupon the valve automatically opens, allowing. the freepassage of water from the reservoir into and thru the pipe and faucet.

Having described my invention, what I claim is z In combination with avertical wall of a refrigerator, a horizontal pipe, for extension thrusaid wallthreaded on its outer end to receive a faucetA and having alcollar for contact with the inner surface of the wall and having anupturned flanged endL for inclusion within a compartment of arefrigerator; a packing in the flange to receive a nozzle from a waterreservoir; a water reservoir; a nozzle extending from the bottomthereof; a valve above the nozzle normally closing said nozzle; a pinsecured in the upturned end of said pipe arranged to extend through thenozzle to unseat the valve and a faucet threaded on the outer horizontalend of said pipe to permit the pipe to be taken out of its normaloperative position for cleaning when the faucet is removed. i

y In testimony whereof I hereunto subscribed my name.

THOMAS c. KENNEDY.

